


Edge of the Abyss

by Ariella1941



Series: Dragon Age's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Mash-up, Not Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Compliant, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-08 12:09:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5496566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ariella1941/pseuds/Ariella1941
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Triskelion Incident, Agent Margaret “Maggs” Hawke is on the run from her former teammates. Armed with her specialist training, a gift that allows her to unconsciously manipulate probability, and carrying data that could shed light on a horrible new HYDRA discovery, Hawke must find a way to escape the trap Meredith Stannard and Orsino have set for her</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dossier: Margaret "Maggs" Hawke

**Author's Note:**

> This is in the same universe as Interrogation, thought it takes place at the beginning of Season 2 of Agents rather than Cullen's experience in beginning Season 3.
> 
> I'm going to do the best I can to fit the characters from Dragon Age into the AoS universe. Much of that is going to be keeping their spirit rather than each being a 1:1 conversion.
> 
> And yes, for all the Marvel fans, Hawke's powers are inspired a bit by Domino. It really fits the DA2 character.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unlike last time out, this isn't a character study so I decided to distill who Maggs is by doing an in-universe dossier of the character. After this, it's going to be hide and seek in Rome.

Agent Margaret “Maggs” Hawke

Hair: Black   Eyes: Blue

Distinguishing Feature: a faint horizontal birthmark that bands the middle of her nose. Easily covered with make-up.

Year of Birth: 1985

Classification: Specialist

Family: Malcolm Hawke (Father, deceased) Katsumi Hawke, nee Ito Katsumi (Mother, deceased), Carver Hawke (brother), Bethany Hawke (sister)

Index Status: Gifted. Able to manipulate probability subconsciously.

Last Assignment: Paris SHIELD Office

Senior Petty Officer Malcolm Hawke met Ito Katsumi during his tour of duty in Japan. The pair fell in love and when the affair came out, Katsumi was disowned by her family. Malcolm and Katsumi married shortly before his reassignment to the NSA facility at Fort Meade, Maryland.

Margaret’s early life was normal, but as she approached puberty her gifts began to manifest. Falls that should have seriously injured or even killed her ended with only bumps and scrapes. When a bully twice her size threatened her sister Bethany, Margaret, without training, was able to beat him. Witness reports claim the girl just seemed to know when not to be there, or when and where to hit. SHIELD opened an investigation into Margaret after she went into a burning building to save a friend and brought the other girl out again, unharmed. This was noteworthy because just after Margaret ran into the building, it collapsed, but somehow both girls were dropped into a sub basement with a secondary exit that was still clear.

Margaret was placed on the index in 2000, but just before the Agent in Charge Mike Morrissey closed the file, she asked him is she could join SHIELD. Amused, Morrissey suggested she get her grades up and maybe she’d get lucky. Three years later, Morrissey received a letter with a copy Margaret’s last report card, her GPA, SAT and ACT scores. The letter read:

_Dear Agent Morrissey,_

_I got my grades up. Am I lucky?_

_Maggs_

Morrissey personally recommended her for recruitment after reading it.

As of 2014, Margaret Hawke was assigned to the command of Meredith Stannard and her team in Paris. Stannard and her tech expert Orsino are confirmed to have defected to Hydra or were Hydra sleepers. Varric Tethras, Communications, was murdered by Stannard. Hawke was out on assignment at the time, so her whereabouts and loyalties remain unknown.

-Except from recruitment report from Agent Koenig for Director Coulson, Level 10 classification.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve tried as much as I’ve could to write these DA: AoS mash ups so that they can be read without having a real understanding of one fandom or another. Hopefully, this works out.

Margaret “Maggs” Hawke was running for her life, and at any other time, Rome would have been a good place to run to.  A maze of streets, crowds of people, it should have been easy to disappear from any conventional pursuit. This, however, was anything _but_ a conventional pursuit.

Maggs ran a hand through her blue black hair and wondered how she was going to get out of this mess.

_No one’s heard a damned thing from Hydra in_ years _and they choose_ now _to show up?_ She thought to herself. _And Stannard and Orsino are with them. Stannard doesn’t surprise me, the sociopathic bitch. But Orsino hated her. Or was that pretend too?_

She knew one thing. Varric Tethras had been loyal, to SHIELD and to her. He managed to get a message along with some seriously encrypted data to her, then came the gun shots.

Hawke’s options were limited and she knew it. Every SHIELD safe house was compromised; she’d ditched her phone, ID, credit cards, and clothing back in Paris. Between skill and her gift, she managed to get to Rome. But the ancient city was only a rest stop on the way to Naples and the port there. Maggs hoped she could find a ship heading to the US, and at that point try and find other SHIELD operatives, or make contact with the Avengers. One thing was certain for Maggs, she’d die before Hydra got a hold of her.

_I’d rather not let it get that far though,_ she thought as she took another turn deeper into the less savory part of the city. Maggs hadn’t slept in over a day, and even her ability to manipulate probability couldn’t override the needs of biology. Sleep and possibly food were in order if she were to make it south, but Maggs didn’t dare try a shelter or a church or any place with a number of people. She was putting innocent people in enough danger as it was at the moment, but she had no choice. Slowing her pace to catch a breath, Hawke tried to start thinking rather than just reacting.

_You’ve been_ trained _for this sort of thing_ , she berated herself, _you’re a covert specialist, not some geek from Tech Academy thrown into the field for the first time!_

_True, but I’ve never had to put that training to use against my own teammates. Former teammates._

_Complain when you’re safe, Maggs! Which is not now!_

Hawke watched people stroll by. Even here there were fountains, and the passersby tossed in coins.

_Oh, it can’t be that simple. Even with_ my _luck, it can’t be that simple!_

Maggs sidled over to the fountain and began collecting some of the coins. Not wanting to draw too much attention, she flitted from fountain to fountain until she had enough for a decent meal and a little bit for the road. So for the first time in weeks, Margaret Hawke had something go truly right.

Next stop: Naples.

 

* * *

 

“Rome has a population of 2.8 million, Meredith. That’s needle in a haystack even for a tech wizard like me. Throw in her little gift, and the odds of finding her aren’t so hot,” Orsino told Meredith Stannard as they sat in a HYDRA safe house. They’d moved from the official SHIELD facility in Paris, trying to track Margaret Hawke and the information she carried. Information on a new metal HYDRA had discovered.

HYDRA hadn’t been able to test the limits of what they’d dubbed “lyrium”, but the preliminary investigations were promising. The stuff had possibilities as an enhancement drug, though Von Strucker’s team was developing a process they were calling Project Fenris.

Meredith turned away, walking into her bedroom where a vial of lyrium waited. The bio chemistry division had discovered two types of lyrium; blue and red. Red lyrium seemed to be the more powerful, but it was unstable, and HYRDA’s bio science wing was less sure of the side effects. But it was much more potent than the blue stuff. So when Meredith reached for a vial of her daily dose, it glowed with crimson.

“Hey, Stannard! We might have a hit!” she strode back out to find Orsino grinning. “It’s not her, but it looks like what’s left of SHIELD may be looking too.”

“I don’t see where this is a good thing, Orsino,” she told him tartly as the lyrium shivered in her veins, rimming her sight in red. “We’re not to tangle with SHIELD just yet.”

“Hey, we’re going to have to put on our big kid pants at some point,” he replied, then his face sobered. “It’s either tangle with them now, or risk the data falling into their hands.”

She nodded. “Get our people into position.”

 

* * *

 

Four days later, Hawke was on the road once more. As the sun set, Maggs started looking for a place to bed down for a few hours. It was still warm enough that sleeping outside wasn’t a health hazard, but she couldn’t shake the fact that her ‘luck’ was about to run out.

_You’re tired, Maggs,_ she told herself, _tomorrow will look better with a few hours’ sleep._

But tonight the lengthening shadows made her nervous.

_This whole Jason Bourne off the reservation shtick works a lot better in the movies._

The thought breezed right out of Maggs’ mind as she heard a hushed whisper in the row of grapevines to her left. She rolled right, coming up with a handful of loose dirt which she threw in the face of her attacker. As the man reeled back, Maggs’ ran. The footsteps behind her multiplied and when the _whoop-whoop_ sound of a helicopter joined them, she knew her luck had truly run out.

_It may have run out, but they won’t take me easily, or alive!_

Maggs dropped into a defensive stance, ready to take on all comers as the chopper’s mini-gun spun up. Within moments, Margaret Hawke was the only living person on the ground. Looking up at the helicopter in wonder, she saw a sight she never expected.

_Well, shit!_

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully this is going to work out the way I hope and will continue to be readable for both fandoms without truly needing a reference. 
> 
> However, for AoS fans who haven't played Dragon Age, you can find the characters Hawke, Meredith Stannard and Orsino at the Dragon Age Wiki: http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Age_Wiki
> 
> Hawke is the Player Character of Dragon Age 2, and can be male or female. Class and look are customizable, though I'm going with the "default" look for Female Hawke. Meredith and Orsino are antagonists in the same game, and making them Hydra feels perfect for the spirit of the characters.
> 
> Anyway, hope you enjoyed this.


End file.
